IoT

Schneider Electric on IoT and Predictive Maintenance

Creating tomorrow’s cities: How today’s buildings are using IoT.

By Tyler Haak

As many industries adopt IoT solutions for increased efficiency, reduced costs and new opportunities, the buildings industry is looking to do the same by incorporating IoT and mobile functionality into a range of facilities. As part of this, many businesses are choosing to use cloud and internet of things (IoT)-based technologies within their buildings. This includes building management systems that integrate data on physical security, HVAC and other systems into one display, and smart devices such as digital power meters, power quality meters and smart circuit breakers.

In the future, the adoption of these technologies is expected to increase at a rapid pace. For example, Navigant Research has predicted that the total number of smart devices in buildings will reach 4.4 billion, with the potential to reach as many as 10 billion devices as soon as 2020.

However, in order to ensure that this rapid growth is sustainable, businesses must address growing concerns around IoT security and develop effective strategies to protect their data from outside threats. In addition, businesses must keep up to date on the changing needs and requirements of maintenance and monitoring technology in order to ensure that their IoT systems are running efficiently and delivering the data that the organization needs to drive results.

So, the question becomes, how can businesses effectively implement IoT systems into their buildings, and continue to ensure that they are generating the maximum benefit possible?

What are the Opportunities?

With the rapid development of IoT-enabled technology, smart buildings are becoming one of the global models for optimized efficiency and productivity. Mobile and IoT convergence is enabling building management systems to facilitate:

Rich delivery of data through actionable insights from smart, connected devices for buildings and facility staff;

An increase in integrated systems that provide a unified view of all system conditions;

Better security for networks due to new cybersecurity policies, infrastructure and training.

The Barriers to Adoption

A recent study found a number of barriers exist in using the IoT to achieve building maintenance goals. Almost half (43 percent) of facility managers stated the level of investment required is the biggest challenge they face in adopting intelligent, digital solutions within their buildings. Nearly a quarter of respondents (23 percent) indicated a lack of internal resources available to interpret building data into actionable results was a key barrier. Eighteen percent believe their buildings are not suited to the adoption of connected technologies, and 14 percent indicated there was a lack of proof around ROI.

Originally, building management systems were designed to cut down on energy usage and costs. But with advances in connected technology, building management systems bring new value to a facility by identifying opportunities to optimize sustainability, space utilization, operational efficiency and employee productivity. The key is leveraging the IoT to integrate various building systems and connect them to a centralized “backbone.” This connected infrastructure can help facility managers identify problems before they occur and make buildings more productive and efficient. And with up to 75 percent of a building’s lifetime costs spent on maintenance and operations, leveraging data to optimize systems and resources is more critical than ever.

Maximizing Efficiency

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) estimates that with active controls and IoT-enabled technology, facilities can expect a 50 percent increase in cost efficiency, including energy, maintenance and other recurring costs. Providing facilities with IoT capabilities allows building managers to implement predictive maintenance and analytics technology, allowing facilities to save up to 20 percent per year on maintenance and energy costs. The use of IoT devices and services helps create intelligent buildings that minimize energy use, optimize the performance and lifespan of physical assets, and ensure the safety, security and efficiency of the electrical system itself and building tenants.

Smart devices enable facility teams to gain unparalleled access to the entire power network by measuring and collecting data, as well as providing control functions. Digital power meters, power quality meters, and smart circuit breakers can provide building managers with insight into all aspects of their electrical and utility systems. By incorporating smart devices, not only are these systems monitoring equipment performance and sharing alarms on threats to reliability or efficiency, they make it possible to measure meter energy and other parameters at each key point throughout a facility’s power network, from the main utility incomes into individual plug loads. Giving building managers this insight will reveal each instance of energy waste while also helping maintenance teams address risks before they can cause costly downtime and damage.

In addition to IoT enabled building management systems, building managers may want to consider implementing enterprise asset performance management (APM) solutions that combine a number of functions into a hardware-agnostic package for easy integration with legacy systems. Typically, APM solutions include enterprise data capture, predictive maintenance and mobile workforce empowerment through risk-based maintenance.

These predictive analytics tools use advanced pattern recognition to identify faults in the system that could lead to asset failures well in advance of when these asset failures actually occur and affect the business. When the system detects an issue, the integrated workflow capabilities allow operators to resolve problems quickly and efficiently as well as enabling long-term strategic planning. Overall, Enterprise APM solutions provide value by taking raw industrial data and transforming it into strategic, actionable insights. These insights empower employees to spend less time mining the aggregated data and more time using it to their benefit.

Where Does the Data Go?

Connecting devices and systems within the building to the IoT will generate vast amounts of data, which then gets aggregated to cloud-hosted repositories, which in turn grant access to this data to different systems throughout a facility, depending on how the IoT-based system in question has been set up. Through IoT-enabled devices, businesses can share information through a number of analytic platforms including power and energy management, building management, and asset management. In contrast to traditional solutions, the connectivity, interoperability, and cloud enablement of IoT-based systems make it easier to install and use these devices, as well as provide a more affordable option for small and medium-sized buildings.

IoT-enabled networks allow building managers to integrate various systems, including energy, HVAC, fire and security systems more efficiently. However, when these various systems communicate and share data with each other through wireless systems, there is a risk that a hack or intrusion to the system could occur if the proper security precautions are not put in place.

Is the Data Secure?

It is critical that building managers are aware of the different security threats that may occur in their buildings after implementing IoT-based systems. As IoT-based sensors and devices grow in popularity, outside threats, such as hackers and intruders, are now more dangerous than ever. IT teams will need to implement IoT-based cybersecurity solutions in an effort to thwart these attacks, such as the use of authentication and encryption to protect communications between mobile devices, controllers, and workstations.

Building managers are not alone in the effort to ensure that IoT-enabled systems for buildings are protected. This effort is being taken extremely seriously across the wider industry, and as IoT-connected building management systems become more popular, new standards and protocols are being implemented to ensure cybersecurity is maintained and managed across each system connected to mobile applications. For example, system manufacturers are providing security training to application developers to ensure that clients are complying with these standards. Business managers are incorporating threat modeling, secure code practices, extensive testing and more to ensure that their teams are following security regulations.

In addition, equipment manufacturers are providing partners and customers with full documentation and instructions to ensure that they are deploying their equipment efficiently, securely and effectively. Many building managers are also beginning to dedicate specific staff to cybersecurity teams to help provide installation services, maintenance and support with incidents or vulnerabilities.

As attacks become more common and sophisticated, businesses need to keep up to date with the latest solutions as hackers continue to familiarize themselves with existing security solutions and work around them. Evolving processes and procedures with changing security needs will be vital to ensuring facility success. Network managers should also plan to continually train staff to ensure cybersecurity systems and protocols continue to evolve and are continually updated and followed across the organization.

Looking Ahead

The digital transformation of multiple industries, including the facilities industry, is creating a need for the adoption of IoT and mobile technology into everyday practices for building managers. Incorporating mobile devices into daily workflows has increased productivity among facility staff by enabling remote work. It has also created a more efficient way to use building management systems that can alert staff to damaged equipment that may lead to a costly power outage, share alerts for emergencies and improve overall system efficiency through predictive maintenance capabilities. If facility managers are able to ensure that data and communications across their IoT systems are properly protected, the opportunities for organizational transformation within buildings are truly unparalleled.